Show Notes
In the final episode of season 2, host Rebecca Thandi Norman speaks with Christie historian and writer Dr Mark Aldridge about a Miss Marple mystery that they both love: At Bertram's Hotel. Mark and Rebecca discuss the way Christie approaches the changes of the 1960s, the fantastic character of Bess Sedgwick, and why this is a book that may not be for those who want lots of clues and a big reveal at the end. They even imagine another ending (tell us if you prefer it too!).
Mark is currently co-hosting the fabulous podcast "The Swinging Christies" with writer Gray Robert Brown, all about Christie's work in the sixties. Find it here.
Read Mark's books: Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World https://bookshop.org/a/87919/9780008296643
Agatha Christie's Marple: Expert on Wickedness https://bookshop.org/a/87919/9780008522698
Agatha Christie On Screen: https://bookshop.org/a/87919/9781349676958
Mentioned in this episode: Curtain Up: Agatha Christie: A Life in the Theatre by Julius Green https://bookshop.org/a/87919/9780062313393
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More from Tea & Murder: An Agatha Christie Podcast
Steven Garner, a legal translator also known for his Instagram account, @christie_in_translation, joins host Rebecca Thandi Norman to discuss the beloved Marple mystery 4:50 from Paddington. The two talk about why this is a great example of Jane Marple's personality, the character of Lucy Eyelesbarrow, and whether this would be an easy book to translate.
It's our third play on the podcast, and you know what? We should really do this more often. Host Rebecca Thandi Norman speaks with mystery writer Jamie West about Spider's Web, which is Christie's second-longest running play of all time. It quickly becomes clear why: it's funny, engaging, and exactly what you'd expect from a Christie: a twisty murder in the manor house on the English countryside. Jamie discusses how his work in the theatre led him to write his own mystery series, why Christie plays endure today, and what it is about this one that has always stuck out in his mind.
Writer, historian, and curator Subhadra Das has been exploring the connection between Golden Age detective fiction and eugenics. In this interview, she discusses the late Christie work, Elephants Can Remember. She and host Rebecca Thandi Norman address eugenics concepts across Christie's career, why Poirot would take this case, if "twin plots" ever really work, and which book Rebecca thought she was agreeing to before getting started (spoilers: it wasn't the right one!).
Ram Murali's debut novel, Death in the Air, is not only a fun and glamorous mystery set in an Indian hotel, it's also a love letter to Agatha Christie. Host Rebecca and Ram discuss homages to Christie's work, how characters are created, and the messy-but-sometimes-fun Death in the Clouds.
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